Fertility and Parenting with a Disability | 4.2.2014

April 2, 2014 from 4 to 5:30pm

IN PERSON – Portland State University – Urban Center, Room 511. It is located at 511 SW Mill Street.

From the forced sterilization and eugenics practices of the past to modern stereotypes regarding who can and should parent, this session will explore what it means to reproduce through a disabled body.

Discussion Questions:

What are some of the long-term effects of forced sterilization – both on the individuals with disabilities who’ve undergone the procedure and on society at large?

What do you think is truly of concern to the government when they make a decision (and stand by it for decades) to forcibly prevent a certain population of people from reproducing?

In what ways can we as a society further the notion that people with disabilities are perfectly capable of reproducing and raising children of their own?

Do you think the reaction to the Deaf couple wanting a Deaf child would be different if it were a couple who use wheelchairs, who are blind, who have learning disabilities, etc? What might those differences in reaction be and what would they be attributed to?

Medication management for pregnant people can be challenging. Do you think this mom’s decision to stay medicated during her pregnancy is the right one? Why or why not?

Would the feelings of shame, guilt, or embarrassment that parents with disabilities oftentimes feel be lessened at all if we lived in a country that acknowledged and supported them as a part of the societal framework?